Rustin keeps rolling with win over Sun Valley

WESTTOWN >> The West Chester Rustin football team sent a clear message to Sun Valley on the first possession of the game that they were going to be in their top players’ faces all night long.

Senior Conner Cummings broke through Sun Valley’s offensive line on the the first two plays, sacking quarterback Gabe Boccella both times.

It wouldn’t be the last time Boccella was taken down or chased in the game as Rustin came away with a 42-7 romp of the Vanguards.

“It was a real good win against a very tough team,” Rustin head coach Mike St. Clair said. “We’re getting healthy at the right time and we’re doing the things we do. We’re pretty happy with the win tonight.”

Rustin’s defense kept Sun Valley to just 214 yards in the game and forced an interception.

“Our D-line has been playing really well all year,” St. Clair said. “We’re getting a lot of guys back from being injured and we’re just getting together at the right time here.”

A big piece for Rustin in the win came in three parts — junior Ty Pringle, senior Brandon Frazier and senior Kevin Sweeney. The three carried the ball 31 times total for a combined 371 yards, over three quarters of Rustin’s total yardage on the night, and accounted for all six touchdowns.

“It’s really nice to get to play my starting backfield for the first time this year,” St. Clair said. “They have all been hurt at different times. The offensive line did a great job. It was just a really nice game tonight.”

For Sun Valley, though, the players were still trying to get into a rhythm and get into their new positions on the field.

“We had one injury and we don’t have a lot of depth, so when you have one injury, you kind of move three parts around,” head coach Ray Gionta said. “The kids that are in there have been practicing as backups, but that’s not an excuse. We have to give a lot to Rustin.”

With the end of the regular season quickly approaching and his players getting healthy at the right time, St. Clair is happy to see his team clicking together and running on a five-game win streak.

“All wins are the kind of wins you need,” he said. “It’s nice to be on a little run right now with a real tough game coming up next week.” of credit